OMG....it's Friend Making Toy time...

Amber is hosting Friend Makin' Monday for Kasey today. So, let's get going... :-) This week we are discussing 5 toys that remind you of your childhood. Heather, Holly Hobbie's best friend:

The first time I met my half brother, Rob, he gave me one of these dolls. I still have her, she was a favorite.

Baby Chrissy:

Another fave doll of mine. You could "pull" her hair and it would grow. I think if you moved her arm it got short again.

Barbie:Of course, like any other girl, I had Barbies. I got the RV for my 5th birthday (1973), had one of the townhouses, the boat and played for hours with my friends who had the airplane and other houses. Tons of fun... ;-) Model Trains:Yeah, I'm a girl and I love trains. We had a layout that we put up every Christmas before my dad died. And finally, like any other child of the 80's.. Cabbage Patch Doll:My mom got me my first one about 3 months before the big blowup about them. I think I had 3 of them.

Friend Makin Monday

I will be doing a recap of the weekend, complete with some pics later on, but for now lets just make some friends.

Kasey, at All That is Good, is hosting Friend Making Monday. The prompt for this week is: 10 things that just really get you fuzzed up (that means makes you mad). And here we go.....

1. Other people's drama: I have enough drama in my own life, I don't need anyone else's, especially the people I work with.

2. Being ignored: Major pet peeve of mine. Not sure why though.

3. My kids' needs being ignored by a certain other party: 'Nuff said.

4. At the moment...some people that I volunteer with in the band... see #1 and #2.

5. Not being able to think of things to write for this... :-)

6. Having to tell my kids a bajillion times to do something. The cat box will not be cleaned by itself....

7. Having to explain things to my kids that they shouldn't even have to even think about. Cryptic yes, sorry.

8. People who don't take responsibility for their actions.

9. Rudeness anytime, but especially in retail settings. Many people don't realize that their attitude makes or breaks business.

10. A dirty kitchen. The rest of my house may be cluttered, but I try really hard to keep the kitchen clean. I guess it's my many years of restaurant service.

Let's Make Friends

Today is Friend Making day at Kasey's. So today she wants us to list our 10 favorite things. I am not as creative today as some are so you'll have to do without pictures for this one. :-)

1. Coffee: That's a big DUH...
2. Knitting: I don't do it too often, but I do have a project in the works at the moment.
3. Reading: Another duh... I usually have one on me at all times. I actually read 3 books yesterday..lol
4. The computer: All my friends are in it.....
5. Message boards: I met all my friends there....... (MOL, PS, etc...lol)
6. Blogging: I've been blogging since 2001.
7. Photography: Not great at it, but love pictures and taking them.
8. Church: It gives me a peaceful feeling.
9. My 2 best friends: (other than my dh...) Lisa and Kim are the greatest. Even though we live close we don't get out too often, but when we do...it's a total laughfest.
10. Hmmm.... I guess I'll just add the family in for good measure..

Head on over there to meet some interesting people.

The Assignment

It's Writer's Workshop time again. Here are the prompts:

1.) What was the first CD (or record or cassette) you ever purchased? Write about the way that particular album made you feel then. Write about how it makes you feel now.
writersdigest.com

2.) You were recently laid off. Instead of moping around, you've viewed it as a chance to start fresh. Pick a new career and write about your first day on the job.writersdigest.com

3.) List your five most recent favorite things.

4.) I'm hungry. Share your very favorite recipe!!

I think I'll do #1 this time. The first "real" album (yes, an honest to God 33 1/3 LP...lol) I remember getting was an album by Shaun Cassidy. OMG, I was sooooo in love with that boy. ;-) I also remember going to Sears with my mom and they had shirts with his picture on them...via the Hardy Boys series... and if you got a shirt you also got an autographed photo. I was lucky that my mom did get it for me... I was in heaven.

To be honest...I do have some Shaun Cassidy on my iPod. Old habits, ya know...

Let's make some friends...

All that is Good is hosting a blog carnival..Friend Makin' on Mondays... and I've decided to participate. I need all the friends i can get..lol.


1) My favorite book is: The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, the By The Numbers series by Janet Evanovich, just about anything really...lol

2) I drive a: 2005 Chevy Colorado truck.

3) My favorite type of food to eat is: salads, at the moment, but especially steak salad.

4) My favorite dessert is: donuts

5) My favorite movie is: Dogma, Lost in Translation

6) When I go to Starbucks I get a: black coffee...why ruin a good thing?

7) My favorite vegetable is: hm...no favorite really

8) My favorite thing to wear is: jeans and tshirt

9) My favorite color is: black, red, purple

10) I decorate my house in this style: whatever is on sale

11) Right now I am reading: World Without End by Ken Follet

12) If I could vacation anywhere I would go to: Ireland or Scotland or a cruise

So there ya go... Head on over for the fun.

Tough decision

Here are the prompts from Mama Kat this week:

1.) Tell us about a memorable blind date.

2.) Other than the birth of a child or your wedding, write about a joyous moment.

3.) Write about one of the most difficult decisions you have made in your life.
4.) Share the best picture you took last month and explain why it's your favorite.

Well, the only blind date I had was so way less than memorable, so that's out. I'm drawing a blank on a joyous moment right now and I don't have my pictures on this computer so those are out too. That leaves #3.

I would have to say the most difficult decision I've ever made was to divorce my ex. Many of my friends and family would say that I was stupid to stay with him as long as I did, but that was my choice. I did leave him twice with the kids and spent weeks at the womens shelter in Salem Oregon, but I did go back. Yes, I was abused, both physically and emotionally. At the time I lived across the country from my family and friends and didn't have much of a support system outside of one or two people. Who wants to complain to people about their lives? I was and still am a fairly shy person.

I stayed with him through crap I probably shouldn't have. Two criminal trials (he's a convicted felon and worse), the obvious abuse etc... I could say that I stayed for the kids, and to be honest I've gone back and forth about this decision even today. Yeah, we're both remarried, but he continues to disparage me and I have to take the high road or I will self destruct.

6 words

From Mama Kat:

The Prompts:
1.) Describe your latest obsession.
2.) Ask a loved one to use 6 descriptive words to describe you and report your findings. How well do they know you?
3.) Who was your first bloggy friend? How did you find each other? Do you still correspond?
4.) Tell us about your pet! If you have a weird infatuation with your dog or cat we want to hear about it (or if they just plain drive you crazy)...but please don't compare them to children. It's just not the same.

I don't think I have a current obsession, no clue how to talk about my animals and could name way too many "first friends", so I'll go with #2.

I asked Bill to give me 6 words to describe me.

1. Thoughtful: Ok, I can get behind this one. I try to be thoughtful of others and teach my kids to do the same.
2. Caring: Kind of goes hand in hand with thoughtfulness with me.
3. Beautiful: While I appreciate his thoughts on this, I don't think I'm beautiful. But, it doesn't necessarily mean just outward beauty, does it? I feel I am average looking, outwardly...;-)
4. Intelligent: I'm probably average in this area too. Everyone has their own areas of specialty. I am full of useless trivia...lol
5. Patient: Lately I've had to be more patient. Really kills me at times.
6. Loving: I can agree with this too. I think I may love too much, though.

Not about me....

Yet Another Jay and Deb Production.

This year starts Tuesday's Tribute. There are a few people that I could choose to tribute, but I think I'll start out a bit closer to home.

Bill is my knight in shining armor. Given that I came from a relationship that, at best, was ok and at worst, abusive...I couldn't have picked a better man. He came into my life, probably kicking and screaming, and has taken hold. Even though the boys seem to balk at the fact they have a step dad in the picture, he keeps trying. It has gotten much better over the past year, even if things haven't gone the way I would have liked, and we all get along. And so...here is my less than stellar tribute to the one person who sticks by me, even when I try to push him away...